California Invasive Plant Council

Ailanthus altissima

Synonyms: A. glandulosa Desf.

Common names: tree-of-heaven; Chinese sumac; paradise-tree; copal-tree

Ailanthus altissima (tree-of-heaven) is a tree (family Simaroubaceae) that is widely but discontinuously distributed in California. It was introduced as a landscape ornamental but escapes gardens and spreads by seeds and creeping roots that produce many suckers. It is most abundant along the coast and in the Sierra foothills, primarily in wastelands and disturbed, semi-natural habitats.

Cal-IPC Rating: Moderate

CDFA Rating: C*

Cal-IPC Assessment

Plant Assessment Form - Information gathered by Cal-IPC on the impacts, rate of spread, and distribution of invasive plants in California. Does not include management information.

Species ID Card

Invasive Species ID Card - To support field identification of early detection species, Cal-IPC has designed a set of Species ID cards that can be downloaded, printed double-sided, and trimmed to size.

Weed Management Notes

• Management Notes - Information on management techniques and effectiveness from the University of California Cooperative Extension’s Weed Research & Information Center.

Cal-IPC Newsletter Articles

• Are we making progress? A bird's-eye view of change in invasive plant cover in central-coastal Orange County. Burger, Jutta C.. Vol 27, Issue 2
• Spotted lanternfly, a new threat (and tree-of-heaven, an old one). Kelch, Dean. Vol 27, Issue 1
• Working on weeds in the eastern US. Meyer, Tanya. Vol 22, Issue 1
• Taking to the air to locate, prioritize and treat effectively. Burger, Jutta C.. Vol 21, Issue 2
• Fighting weeds with the best of them. Cal-IPC. Vol 15, Issue 1
• The basal bark method of applying triclopyr herbicide. Neill, Bill; Angeles, Team Arundo. Vol 13, Issue 1
• Drilling Ailanthus. Kitz, Jo. Vol 08, Issue 2
• Results of the CalEPPC questionnaire at Symposium ’98 in Ontario. DiTomaso, Joe. Vol 06, Issue 4
• Legendary stewardship award. Goode, Suzanne. Vol 06, Issue 2
• A working paper on Ailanthus. Kitz, Jo. Vol 05, Issue 3
• Ailanthus altissima (Miller) Swingle: Its biology and recent history. Hunter, John C.. Vol 03, Issue 4
• California Exotic Pest Plant Council draft list exotic plants of greatest concern October 1993. CalEPPC. Vol 01, Issue 4

Cal-IPC Symposium Presentations

Presentations are linked where available. Where a presentation is not available, find more information by reading the abstract in the Cal-IPC Symposia Archive.

• The role of public gardens as sentinels of plant invasion. Culley, Theresa; Dreisilker, Kurt; Ryan, Clair; Landel, Hans; Cavallin, Nadia; Arcate Schuler, Jessica; Shultz, Brittany; Gettig, Roger; Havens, Kayri (2020)
• Adapting treatment methods for Ailanthus altissima adjacent to sensitive fish habitat. Wing, Rachel; Castro, Andrew; Fraga, Naomi; Sale, Billy; Snyder, Kristy; Soto, Alejandra (2019)
• Partnering with California Conservation Corps on large scale weed removal in the Oroville Wildlife Area. Ferrara, Holly (2019)
• Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s use of Safe Harbor agreements to enhance habitat for endangered species in the San Francisco Bay Area. Dedon, Mark F.; Fry, Michael E.; Beesley, Peter M (2010)
• Invasive plant control at California State Parks in the northern Sacramento Valley. Dempsey, Jim; Elliott, Woody (2005)
• Trees and shrubs discussion group. Heath, Mark; Moore, Ken; Unger, Petra (2005)
• The abundance and distribution of non-native woody species in Sacramento Valley riparian zones. Hunter, John C.; Sterling, John C.; Widdowson, William P.; Beedy, Edward C.; Stralberg, Diana; Nur, Nadav (2003)
• Trial of several herbicides and application techniques for control of Ailanthus altissima, Upper Putah Creek, Yolo County. DiTomaso, Joe; Kyser, Guy (2002)

Other Ailanthus altissima Information

• CalPhotos - Images of plants taken mostly in California.
• Calflora - See the distribution of this species on Calflora's map of California.
• CalWeedMapper - Distribution information with ability to determine regional priorities.
• Jepson Online Interchange for California Flora - Information on taxonomy, biology, and distribution from UC Berkeley's Jepson Herbarium.
• USDA PLANTS Database - Federal database with information on identification and distribution, and links to websites in individual states.
• Bugwood - National database from the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health at the University of Georgia.
• EDDMapS - North American distribution based on Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System.

Additional photos